Sheffield United working with police to deal with abuse of players - Everything Chris Wilder had to say

The United manager gave his impassioned views on abuse aimed at players, referees and coaches online this morning, speaking ahead of tomorrow's FA Cup tie at home to Bristol City.

Wilder condemned the social media smears as "cowardly, disgusting and inhumane", adding that the indivuduals responsible "need nailing".

"I'm not going to talk about it in detail but there's ongoing stuff at our club with the police," Wilder said.

"That's as much as I'll say and I don't think the police should be dealing with it, but they've been brilliant.

"Sometimes it crosses the line and it has at our football club, hence the situation we're dealing with. There's arguments, banter and debate and people don't agree with each other, but there's a line and it's been stepped over for everyone."The issue reared its ugly head recently when referee Mike Dean was subjected to death threats after his decision to send off Tomáš Souček was reversed on appeal, while Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe was targeted with racist abuse on social media.

Here's everything Wilder said on the issue...

I'm from an age where I wasn't using social media and I still don't. I understand the benefits of it, but this isn't all one way traffic with how good social media is. For me, it's disgusting and we all get affected by it. The people that run these organisations have got to look at themselves and take the responsibility.

Mike Dean is an honorable referee and a decent guy, and these guys are doing their best as the players and coaches are. They don't deserve it. It's disgusting, the individuals need nailing and I wish I could nail them in my way, but I won't be allowed to. We've all been subjected to the abuse and I think it's cowardly, disgusting and inhumane.

There's nothing positive about what's going off, whether it's from a racial point of view or what's gone off over the weekend. We've all suffered and shouldn't have to. I've not got the answer to it, but I'm sure there are more intelligent people that can stop this and punish people and regulate it a lot better than it is now.

It isn't football and it isn't life, no-one should be able to get away with it. There's stuff at the club that I can't discuss that players have received and it's not acceptable. I think the media companies are getting away with it and making money at the same time.

The players have a responsibility and there is a part of social media that is advantageous, whatever platform it is, and there's some good bits. But there's some disgusting bits too and we've all suffered. We're in the spotlight and we all receive it. Our families receive it, and it's not on. Something has to be done.

You should have to give up your passport details or something, what are people scared of? There's a lot of positives but I think the companies have to take a huge amount of responsibility, if not all of it, for what's going on.

These are just high-profile cases, take away footballers and I'm sure other bits and pieces happen right the way through and everyone has to hit back.

Football has an opportunity of doing that and it has to but it'll happen in all walks of life. Then it goes high profile with Mike Dean and the two at Manchester United, but I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg and I think it's unacceptable that these things are allowed to happen.

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